Dental Implants: Long-Term Solution

Far from being experimental, dental implants have become the standard of care for replacing missing or diseased teeth over the past generation. When looked at over the lifetime of your mouth, they can be a cost-effective and health-supporting solution.

Two of the biggest advantages to choosing dental implants are that implants do not decay, and do not impact adjacent healthy teeth. Restorations such as bridges rely on adjacent teeth to anchor them in the mouth. Many bridges fail because it is very difficult for patients to adequately brush and floss around them, leaving the area vulnerable to gum disease and tooth decay (in adjacent natural teeth).

Implants are made of durable materials, including titanium roots and ceramic crowns, that have been proven to co-exist well with the natural biological structure of your mouth. Another technological advance that has aided the high success rate of dental implants is the emergence of sophisticated 3-D imaging processes that can give dentists a much more detailed visual “map” of your mouth, ensuring that their surgical preparation will be customized to your particular health situation.

In terms of price, a dental implant may be fairly close to that of a bridge. And as noted earlier, it carries far fewer risks of failing because of decay, bone loss, or damage to adjacent teeth. Implants are built to last for decades, even generations, and so you will pay for replacements or repairs far fewer times over your lifetime than with other types of restorations.

When you’re talking to your dentist about what types of restorations are best for you, it’s important to keep all appropriate options on the table, including dental implants.